Food Assistance Fact Sheet - Nepal

October 10, 2012

Food Security Situation  

CIA World Factbook

• Three and half million people in Nepal are considered to be moderately to severely food insecure and 41 percent of the population is estimated to be undernourished. Nepal, ranked 157 out of 187 countries on UN Development Program (UNDP) 2011 Human Development Index, also has a serious malnutrition situation. Half of Nepal’s children under 5 years are stunted or chronically undernourished.

• Nepal’s recent decade long civil conflict significantly impaired economic development, and in recent years the complex interactions of these factors have been compounded by a succession of food security shocks.

• Nepal hosts a large number of refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from Bhutan. Additionally, approximately 900 Tibetans transit through Nepal each year. According to UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there is a need for peaceful co-existence between the refugees and host communities.

Food Assistance Programs

• The Office of Food for Peace (FFP) now targets approximately 183,600 food-insecure Nepalese and 6,650 Bhutanese refugees throughout Nepal. 

• FFP partners with the UN World Food Program (WFP) on a variety of activities including direct general distribution, food for assets, and supplementary feeding. 

Food for Peace Contributions

Total Contributions:

Fiscal Year 2012 Contribution Breakdown:

Note: EFSP: Emergency Food Security Program; FY: Fiscal Year; MT: Metric Ton; UNDP: United Nations Development Program; UNHCR: United Nations Refugee Agency; USD: U.S. Dollars; WFP: World Food Program
Food Security Situation Information is provided by FEWS NET and WFP as of January 2012.